Scottish Executive

Apprenticeships

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Executive plans to encourage more people to take up engineering apprenticeships.

Henry McLeish: There are now over 5,000 Modern Apprentices training in engineering, a threefold increase since 1997. We are working with the Enterprise Network and the engineering sector to build on this success by promoting the benefits of modern apprenticeships to engineering employers and potential apprentices. We are also abolishing the upper age limit for Modern Apprenticeships to give lifelong learning opportunities for people to train in jobs at apprenticeship level.

Cancer

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes in response to new evidence from the National Radiological Protection Board that there may be a connection between overhead power lines and certain cancers.

Susan Deacon: The Executive welcomes this new study.

  The NRPB, which provides expert advice on these matters, considers that this new report provides no additional scientific evidence to require a change in exposure guidelines.

  That said, the Executive fully supports the report’s recommendation that the current uncertainty indicates a need for further research. Current research includes a number of Government-funded studies in this country and support for the multi-national Electromagnetic Fields Project set up and co-ordinated by the World Health Organisation. The UK Government will also work with the NRPB to begin new research into the factors that lead to certain households having higher levels of electromagnetic fields.

Child Welfare

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to respond to the report of the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Kennedy McFarlane.

Nicol Stephen: Dumfries and Galloway Child Protection Committee commissioned the report into Kennedy’s tragic death and primary action on its recommendations is for the local agencies concerned.

Childcare

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a compulsory register for nanny agencies and take action to regulate them.

Nicol Stephen: During the Regulation of Care Bill Stage 1 debate on 7 March, Susan Deacon announced our proposals for the regulation of services which directly employ or select the carer to work in the family home.

  Regulation of nanny agencies, when they act as employment agencies, is a reserved matter and the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). DTI is introducing more stringent regulation for employment agencies which will include strict requirements to check people placed to work with children.

Dentists

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific progress it is making in getting more dentists into the Grampian Health Board area from Dundee Dental School.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive, in liaison with representatives from Grampian Health Board, Grampian Primary Care Trust, Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education and Dundee Dental School, are continuing to encourage dental practitioners into Grampian. This year there will be 10 vocational trainee (one year) places in Grampian. A general professional training scheme (two years) is being developed in Grampian with an extra four places identified to start in August 2002. Outreach dental student education from Dundee Dental School has been established as a pilot in Tayside and once arrangements are in place this initiative will be extended to Grampian and Highland.

Digital Hearing Aids

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will collect information detailing which health boards have issued digital hearing aids.

Susan Deacon: There are no plans for this information to be collected centrally.

Economic and Social Research Council

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty’s Government or the Economic and Social Research Council (ERSC) regarding Scotland’s share of the ERSC budget.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No. We are content that all the Research Councils, which are reserved bodies, abide by the general principle that funding decisions are made on the grounds of quality, not location.

Education

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to respond to the report from the Highlands and Islands Learning Grid with particular reference to its identification of a need for publicly supported initiatives in information and communication technologies.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has received a copy of the Highlands and Islands Learning Grid report and will be considering it alongside the report on broadband communications for schools prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Fisheries

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in meeting the concerns of the Scottish fish catching and processing industry.

Rhona Brankin: I announced on 8 March a £27 million package of planned investment in the industry, including £25 million for a decommissioning scheme and £1 million to implement recommendations in the Scottish Fish Processors’ Working Group report.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Executive plans to reassure farmers and their representative bodies that the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak is under control.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive fully recognises the seriousness of this disease. The veterinary assessment in Scotland is that all the cases to date are linked. The slaughter and eradication process is working well with cases dealt with promptly as they arise. It is not possible to predict at this stage how many cases will finally emerge. The Executive has daily dialogue on the outbreak with Scottish farming representatives.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to investigate the feasibility of a programme of vaccination of livestock against foot-and-mouth disease.

Ross Finnie: There are no current plans to vaccinate against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) although supplies of vaccines are of course available.

  The EU does not permit the use of FMD vaccine by member states. Their policy like that of the UK Government and the Scottish Executive is to eradicate the disease through a compulsory slaughter and compensation policy. There is a provision for member states to make a special case for vaccine use where this is considered beneficial on the basis of veterinary advice.

  The use of vaccines is by no means straightforward. Problems can arise where disease is masked and therefore spread. There are also adverse trade implications because other member states and many third countries demand FMD freedom to permit trade in most animals and animal products.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the financial consequences of the current outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

Ross Finnie: I announced last week that I have asked the Enterprise Networks, visitscotland, the Scottish Agricultural College and other interested organisations to work with my officials to assess the impact of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak across local areas, sectors and over time. I will chair this group, which will have its first meeting this afternoon. The priority is to assess the immediate implications and I look forward to seeing an initial assessment in the very near future.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will increase checks on imported meat in the light of concerns that the foot-and-mouth virus came to the UK from imported meat.

Ross Finnie: Checks on imports of meat are agreed at EU level and any changes to these arrangements must be similarly agreed.

  Within the EU all animals are subject to both ante mortem and post mortem veterinary checks at point of slaughter. Meat passed for human consumption is health-marked, at which point it can be freely traded within the EU. This does not apply where restrictions such as those under the current foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) emergency or any other animal health problem are in force.

  Meat coming into the EU from third countries must be slaughtered in an approved premises and enter the EU via a border inspection post. At this point it undergoes 100% identity and documentary checks along with physical checks where these are required. The checks concerned are carried out by official veterinary surgeons. In the event of any disease outbreak in third countries, import bans would be imposed.

  A range of issues arising from the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease will be considered as part of the normal review process once the outbreak is properly contained.

  I understand that the Food Standards Agency are ensuring that food safety checks on imported meat are being stepped up to cope with any increased level of imports resulting from FMD restrictions in the UK.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make widely available to farmers pictures of what to look for when checking stock for the symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease.

Ross Finnie: Every livestock farmer in Scotland has been issued with text and accompanying pictures of how to identify foot-and-mouth disease. The same material is available on the Scottish Executive and MAFF websites.

Football

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote football for women and girls.

Allan Wilson: sportscotland, on the Scottish Executive’s behalf, is taking a number of steps to promote football for women and girls.

  In the case of the structure of the women’s game, these steps include ongoing investment in a Women’s and Girl’s Football Co-ordinator as part of the Youth Sport Programme and the provision of a funding package for the setting up of a Women’s Football Department within the Scottish Football Association (SFA) – this currently consists of the Scottish National Women’s Team Coach/Director of Women’s Football, two Assistant Directors and a Marketing Officer. Funding is also being provided to promote the provision of Partnership Posts in local authority areas and, to date, the employment of four full-time Women’s Football Development Officers has been agreed with a fifth under discussion. In addition, sportscotland funds the Executive Administrator’s post within the Scottish Women’s Football Association, which has the responsibility for girl’s and women’s league football.

  At international level, sportscotland funds the national squad through the Talented Athlete Programme, while at youth level it works closely with schools through the remit of the Youth Sport Co-ordinator.

  sportscotland also maintains regular dialogue with the SFA about implementation of the Women’s Football four-year development, now in its second year. In addition to this, I hope to meet with representatives of women’s football in the near future myself to discuss issues relating to the women’s game.

Learning Disabilities

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are making adequate progress in developing services for people with learning disabilities.

Malcolm Chisholm: The same as you? , our review of services for people with learning disabilities, was well received when published last year.

  Local authorities are acting on many of the report’s recommendations, using existing resources. I understand they are making progress with, for example:

  joint working;

  alternatives to traditional day opportunities;

  employment opportunities, and

  advocacy schemes.

  In addition, resources of £36 million over three years are available from 1 April 2001 to support implementation of the review.

  Local authorities and their partners are required to submit their first Partnership in Practice agreements to the Executive by June this year. They will be closely monitored.

Library Facilities

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that Scottish libraries continue to provide valuable information resources to Scottish communities.

Allan Wilson: £23 million is available through the New Opportunities Fund to link all public libraries to the internet and to support the development of information and communities technology facilities in community learning centres and the establishment of community learning grids.

Local Government

Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce legislation to support the maintenance of the moratorium on compulsory competitive tendering.

Angus Mackay: Yes.

  Annually the Executive has repeated its commitment to continue a moratorium on Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) in local government until we are ready to introduce legislation to provide a statutory Best Value regime. We are still considering the detail of such legislation, and to date have published two consultation papers on its various aspects: Best Value: next steps, laid before Parliament in June last year, and A Power of Community Initiative etc, laid before Parliament last November.

  I have now been advised that one of the provisions which support the moratorium - section 2(10) of the Local Government Act 1988 – needs amendment to enable the full moratorium to continue until we are ready to introduce legislative proposals on Best Value.

  Unless the amendment is made, CCT will be imposed on 1 January 2002 on the following activities: the collection of refuse, the cleaning of buildings and other cleaning, catering for purposes of schools and welfare and other catering, the management of sports and leisure facilities, maintenance of ground and the repair and maintenance of vehicles.

  Such a development would involve substantial costs for local authorities and disrupt the development of Best Value.

  I would therefore like to announce the Executive’s intention shortly to introduce a small Bill which will amend the Local Government Act 1988 and remove this deadline. We propose to introduce this Bill as early as possible during this parliamentary year.

  The Executive’s longer term plans remain to repeal CCT as part of the new statutory regime for local authorities based on a duty of Best Value.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the review of non-departmental public bodies.

Angus MacKay: As I made clear in my statement which was issued on 18 January 2001, a further statement on the review will be made in May.

Nursing

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current objectives are of the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The aim of the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland (NRIS) is to become the national centre for excellence for Scotland-wide research into direct patient care. Current objectives will focus on research into stroke (a health priority area where nurses and Professions Allied to Medicine have major impact), Practitioner Decision-Making, Practitioner Interventions and Patient Centred Outcomes.

Nursing

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the publications of the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland from its establishment to date.

Susan Deacon: Details of five publications by NRIS are listed below.

  


Author 
  

Title 
  

Publisher 
  



Brannan E, Curzio J, Hunt J 
  

Stress and quality of life among carers of the adult 
  learning disabled: a review of the literature


A NRIS publication. January 1997 
  



O’Henley A, Curzio J, Hunt J 
  

How to design a questionnaire


A NRIS publication. January 1997 
  



Hagen S, Hanley J, Capewell A, Miller V 
  

An evaluation of outcome measures for use in urinary 
  incontinence


Final report to CSO, September 1998 
  



Sinclair L 
  

An evaluation of the impact of employing experienced 
  mental health nurses in accident and emergency (A&E) 
  departments without an on-site psychiatric service


CSO Progress report, December 1998 
  



Curzio J 
  

Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland at the Victoria 
  Infirmary NHS Trust: A report of activities from January 
  1996 to February 1997


A NRIS publication.
April 1997 
  



  A further 84 articles, reports and publications have been published in non-NRIS medical journals and publications.

Nursing

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland has, as part of its remit, a duty to assess the impact of its research, or of the application of its research findings, on patient care in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The remit of Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland is to carry out high quality research into direct patient care. As with all the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) research units, the impact of its activity is evaluated by the Unit Advisory Group and at the formal review of the unit carried out by a panel of independent experts chaired by the CSO.

Nursing

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what grant funding, and from which funding bodies, the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland received in 2000 and what funding it will receive in 2001.

Susan Deacon: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) core funding for Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland (NRIS) in year to 31 March 2001 will be approximately £398,000. The budget for year to 31 March 2002 is £407,000. In addition to funding the NRIS, CSO funds specific research projects administered by the unit. £297,000 and £300,000 was awarded to them for projects in 2000-01 and 2001-02 respectively.

  Additionally NRIS received external funding from the following sources in 2000.

  


Funding Body 
  

£ 
  



CRAG 
  

1,200 
  



Ethicon Ltd 
  

600 
  



Greater Glasgow NHS Trust 
  

32,000 
  



  And will receive external funding from the following sources in 2001.

  


Funding Body 
  

£ 
  



Tyco Healthcare UK/RCN A&E Nursing Association 
  

3,250** 
  



European Society & Contraception 
  

10,000 
  



Ethicon Ltd 
  

600 
  



Greater Glasgow NHS Trust 
  

32,000 
  



NBS 
  

3,796 
  



NIH 
  

230,000 
  



European Society & Contraception 
  

10,000* 
  



  ** New funding in 2001.

  * New funding 2000.

Pensions

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the First Minister what conditions were inserted into the trunk road management and maintenance contracts to protect the pension rights of employees transferring under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations.

Henry McLeish: The new contracts do not contain any conditions relating to pensions to be paid to employees transferring under TUPE.

  TUPE does not cover occupational pensions.

Planning

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review and modernise planning law.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Yes. We will consult during 2001 on proposals to modernise the planning system including: the overall planning framework; more public involvement in the planning process, and getting better quality development in urban and rural Scotland. Any legislative changes that are necessary to give effect to changes made to the planning system will follow.

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the recently announced additional £20 million funding to Lothian and Borders Police it contributed, broken down by local authority area, when the first allocation from its contribution will be made to the force and over what time period it will be paid.

Mr Jim Wallace: It is not clear as to which announcement Mr MacAskill is referring. On 20 February we announced the allocation of £25 million of capital consent to police forces for 2001-02, of which £5.1 million was allocated to Lothian and Borders. I would be happy to provide further information to Mr MacAskill if he would like to write to me.

Police

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations were made to it regarding an application for capital consent in 2001-02 for a new police station in Irvine and why it did not give such consent.

Mr Jim Wallace: Under new arrangements used to determine capital consents for police forces for 2001-02, three quarters of the total available was allocated according to an agreed formula based on population. The balance was set aside for projects costing over £1 million.

  Bids were invited from all forces and five projects were submitted. Two projects were submitted by Strathclyde Police, one for a new police station in Irvine and the other for a new Divisional Headquarters in Motherwell. The total value of the bids submitted exceeded the amount available for allocation. A panel drawn from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and COSLA considered each project on its merits and recommended to ministers that funding be made available for three of these - for the Motherwell project and projects submitted by Lothian and Borders Police and Northern Constabulary. The panel’s recommendations were accepted.

Police

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used in 2001-02 to determine the capital consents for police forces.

Mr Jim Wallace: New, more transparent, arrangements were used to determine capital consents for police forces for 2001-02 following recommendations in a report by the Accounts Commission and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. Under the new arrangements, three quarters of the total available was allocated across forces using an agreed formula based on population adjusted for sparsity. The balance was set aside for projects costing over £1 million. Bids were invited from all forces and five projects were submitted. A panel drawn from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and COSLA considered each project on its merits and made recommendations to ministers. These recommendations were accepted and the projected expenditures for the three successful projects (submitted by Strathclyde Police, Lothian and Borders Police and Northern Constabulary) were added to individual allocations.

Police

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration will be given in the future, when awarding grant allocations to police forces, to the effect on operational policing of capital projects being funded other than by capital consents.

Mr Jim Wallace: Police grant represents Scottish ministers’ view of the total level of funding required to maintain an effective police service throughout Scotland. It is for chief constables, in consultation with police authorities, to decide how to apply the resources available to them.

Police

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown by police force of the capital consent distribution in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01, showing the population served by each force.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is set out in the table

  


Force 
  

Capital allocation1
(£000) 
  

Population served
by each Force2




1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  






Central 
  

502 
  

2,920 
  

277,600 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

776 
  

888 
  

146,800 
  



Fife 
  

990 
  

885 
  

349,200 
  



Grampian 
  

1,617 
  

1,324 
  

525,300 
  



Lothian & Borders 
  

1,782 
  

3,443 
  

884,900 
  



Northern 
  

2,711 
  

1,347 
  

278,500 
  



Strathclyde 
  

9,732 
  

9,076 
  

2,268,600 
  



Tayside 
  

907 
  

777 
  

388,300 
  



Total 
  

19,017 
  

20,660 
  

5,119,2000 
  



  Notes:

  1. Includes 51% grant paid on Capital from Current Revenue.

  2. Latest available population estimates are at 30 June 1999.

Racism

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking against racism and sectarianism.

Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive condemns racism and sectarianism. We are working closely with the Commission for Racial Equality, the police and many others in taking forward our commitment to promoting equality of opportunity for all.

Rape

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to legislate to widen the definition of rape.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has no plans to change the definition of rape. There is a sufficient range of sexual offences at common law, for all of which the maximum penalty on indictment in the High Court is life imprisonment.

Schools

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the work of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools and whether the findings of any monitoring process are made public.

Mr Jack McConnell: At present, Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools are an integral part of the Scottish Executive Education Department and their work is monitored by senior management and ministers in the same way as the rest of the department’s activity. Some of the work of the Inspectorate is carried out under contract to external bodies who are responsible for their own monitoring arrangements. Various aspects of the Inspectorate’s performance are a matter of public record.

  As I announced to the Parliament on 23 November 2000, the Inspectorate will be established as an Executive Agency of the Scottish Executive from 1 April 2001. As part of that process, I shall put in place arrangements for agreeing performance targets with the agency, and to monitor and report to Parliament on the work of the agency. These arrangements will be set out in a Framework Document covering this and other aspects of the agency, which will be made available to Parliament.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s total expenditure was in each of the last three financial years; how much it spent on (a) information technology, (b) consultants’ fees, (c) staff training and (d) remuneration for those marking exam scripts in each of these years, and what the equivalent figures are projected to be for the current financial year.

Mr Jack McConnell: Information on the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s (SQA) expenditure is available in the annual statement of accounts which it submits to the Scottish ministers and the Comptroller and Auditor General and which are laid before the Parliament each year. Copies are available from the Parliament’s Reference Centre. I have asked the Chair of SQA to reply to you directly on your more detailed points, and a copy of his reply will also be placed in the Parliaments Reference Centre.

Smoking

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the results of its consultation on allowing all nicotine replacement therapy products to be prescribed on the NHS by GPs.

Susan Deacon: I was pleased to announce yesterday that, as from next month, nicotine replacement therapy will be available on prescription from the NHS.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take to assist the tourism industry.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: We are carefully monitoring the implementation of our tourism strategy published in February 2000. We have recently announced a review of the strategy in line with a commitment made at the time of publication. In addition, we are carefully monitoring the impact of foot-and-mouth disease on the tourism industry across Scotland, liasing closely with UK and Scottish Executive colleagues and with visitscotland, the British Tourist Authority and the industry.

Training

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was provided by it or the Scottish Office in each year from 1997-98 to the current year for initiatives relating to workplace training in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: A number of workplace training initiatives are undertaken by the enterprise network, funded from within the block grant-in-aid provided by the Scottish Executive to Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The details of the level of funding Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise allocate to these initiatives is being provided by these organisations to Mr MacAskill in response to his earlier questions. In addition, the Executive is also investing over £0.5 million this year in the new Scottish Union Learning Fund.

Training

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to promote workplace training in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive works closely with the enterprise network, employer-led National Training Organisations and trade unions to promote training opportunities that are closely related to the needs of the workplace. Record numbers of Modern Apprentices are now in training because we have promoted the benefits of the programme to employers and young people. We have also established a Scottish Union Learning Fund to support trade union projects to promote workplace learning.

Waste Management

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the River Clyde will cease to be used as a repository for (a) sewage and (b) rubbish.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The water quality of the River Clyde has been improving year-on-year since the 1970s. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) continuously monitors river water quality and sets discharge limits into watercourses. There is a multi-million pound programme of improvements to combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sewage treatment works throughout the Clyde and its tributaries, and SEPA is confident of continued improvements in water quality.

Young People

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans or national strategy it has to increase advice and counselling services for under 16s considering running away from home and to improve the availability of information about such services.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive is tackling many of the problems which can cause children to run away. Examples of this include grant aid for Who Cares? Scotland to extend advocacy service throughout Scotland for young people who have experience of being looked after in public care, and the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland has key initiatives to address the specific needs of children and young people both in the provision of refuge and of support services. The Executive is also considering the recommendations in the Aberlour Trust’s publication Missing Out - Young Runaways in Scotland.

Young People

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to provide support for young people after they have been involved in a court case about violence or abuse which affected them.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive funds Victim Support Scotland to provide practical and emotional support to all victims of crime, through specially trained volunteers.

  In addition, the Crown Office, the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, social work departments, health boards and child welfare organisations in consultation with the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates are developing a code of practice which will include guidance on the provision of therapy before children give evidence. It will also assist in ensuring that the appropriate agencies provide the necessary help to those children who need it either before, or after, court proceedings.